SPANCO - Gantry Cranes Play Role in Seattle Light Rail Project

One of the largest suppliers of light rail mass transit vehicles in the northern United States operates as a ‘set-up site’ manufacturer. Once awarded a contract, a building is located, they set up their equipment and a production process, and then move on to the next site as another contract becomes available. Skender Nezaj, production manager with the company is responsible for overseeing site set-up, and ensuring that production is efficient.

In 2007, Skender was asked to head up a major project in Seattle, Washington. His company was awarded a contract to build 35 light rail cars for the regional transit provider in Central Puget Sound. The cars will eventually operate as part of the City of Seattle’s new light rail transit system that will connect the city of Seattle to SeaTac Airport. Skender researched the area and chose an old Boeing 787 production plant north of Seattle as the set-up site. As Skender set up the production process, he chose SPANCO Gantry Cranes to solve his challenging lifting problems.

The production of the light rail cars happens in sections. Drive trains and internal components are assembled in the facility through a long series of stations. A 7 ½ ton SPANCO PF Motorized Gantry Crane with a 20’-0” span and a 20’-0” underbeam height is used to provide ergonomic and efficient movement of the large drive train chassis as they move through the assembly process.

Once completed, fiber glass car shells imported from Japan are mounted onto the components and drive train chassis with the help of two 10 Ton SPANCO T-Series All Steel Adjustable Gantry Cranes. The cranes are used in tandem with a webbing sling to lift the shells onto waiting chassis.

When asked how SPANCO Gantry Cranes have helped him on the project, Skender states “Portability of equipment is a significant factor for the Seattle Light Rail Project. SPANCO Gantry Cranes have really helped our business because of their portability; we can break them down with little or no effort and take them with us. The gantries have truly helped our productivity. The building we are in now did not have cranes in it, so we installed gantry cranes for the production line. The SPANCO gantry cranes offer quality, met our budgetary needs, and were delivered on time. They were simple to install, were extremely rigid, and had a solid base. Technical support was also easy to get to”

Skender has been very pleased with the role that SPANCO Gantry Cranes have played in the Seattle Light Rail Project. He has even recommended SPANCO Gantry Cranes to other “set-up site” project managers within his company.

SPANCO sells a wide range of motorized gantry cranes with pre-engineered spans of up to 60 feet and capacities of up to 15 tons. Our motorized gantry cranes are trackless and motorized directly on the floor. Consider a SPANCO Motorized Gantry Crane as an economical addition to your production facility or process.

• SPANCO - Gantry Cranes Play Role in Seattle Light Rail Project

SPANCO - Wall Mounted Jibs Provide Lifting Supplement for Leading Manufacturer of Mobile Cranes

A leading manufacturer of mobile cranes operates a 58,000 square foot manufacturing facility in southeastern Pennsylvania. Assembly of the large cranes takes place in an individual building that is outfitted with large 30 Ton overhead cranes. The large mobile cranes are assembled as they move on a conveyor system through different staging areas. Each staging area serves as a sub-assembly for a different part of the mobile crane. Sub-assembly areas might include gearbox build-up, valve systems, transfer case build-ups, radiator build-ups, or engine frame staging.

During the set-up of the assembly line, management explored possible material handling solutions. Originally, a large freestanding I-beam workstation crane was considered. This solution became problematic because it interfered with the overhead crane. The shop manager suggested the possibility of using wall mounted jib cranes because of the ability to fold them out of the way. Turning to his local overhead material handling dealer, his dealer recommended SPANCO wall mounted jibs because of their ease of use and quality build. After reviewing what SPANCO could provide, the shop manager invested in six 1 Ton capacity SPANCO 300 Series Wall Mounted Cantilever Jib Cranes. The jibs were mounted to the existing support structure and were placed in key sub assembly areas where overhead lifting was a critical need.

One sub assembly area is the "super-structure engine assembly." In this area the mobile crane’s engine is pieced together and tested. Once the worker in this area has completed an assembly, the jib allows him to lift the assembly with ease. It is moved from his workstation out to the main assembly conveyor so that it can be installed on to the chassis. The jib allows him to lift up and over changing floor obstacles within the radius of the jib. Having the jib in his workstation means he doesn’t have to wait to use the large overhead crane.

SPANCO Wall Mounted Jib Cranes are the perfect lifting supplement for large overhead facility cranes.

• SPANCO - Wall Mounted Jibs Provide Lifting Supplement for Leading Manufacturer of Mobile Cranes

SPANCO - Jibs Allow for Efficient Workflow Void of Bottlenecking

A diversified engineering and custom fabrication/machine work company located in southeastern Pennsylvania operates multiple manufacturing facilities with a work force of over 200 employees. Primarily catering to the power coal industry and paper industry, the company has seen significant growth in recent years with annual sales volume exceeded 25 million dollars in 2006.

Several years ago, the plant production manager was dealing with the daily problem of bottlenecking on the production floor. Individual workstations that were set up as part of a fabrication process were becoming inefficient as coworkers had to wait to use large capacity overhead cranes to lift anything that regulations allowed them not to. At one point, as many as 20 individual fabrication jobs were be juggled with the use of a couple of large overhead cranes.

Looking for a cost-effective solution that could be implemented with the current warehouse design, the production manager contacted a local SPANCO distributor. After a brief review of the situation, the value of a SPANCO 301 series wall mounted jib crane was immediately recognized. The SPANCO distributor recommended the purchase of jib cranes for each workstation, allowing individual bay workers to lift and position anything up to 2 tons with 200° degree rotation. The inclusion of these jib cranes allowed for an efficient production process void of bottlenecking.

Over the past several years, this company has purchased and installed multiple SPANCO series wall mounted jibs to accommodate their growing facility.

• SPANCO - Jibs Allow for Efficient Workflow Void of Bottlenecking

SPANCO - Workstation Bridge Crane Provides Ergonomic Solution For Metal Fabrication Facility

A 10,000 square foot metal fabrication facility in central Pennsylvania specializes in assembling and fabricating steel bases that are used to support printing presses in large print facilities. After being in business for two years, the company president re-evaluated the fabrication work flow, looking to lower production costs in order to stay competitive.

The fabrication process involved part assembly and welding that took place at individual work stations throughout the facility. Assemblies could weigh anywhere from 900lbs. to 1500lbs. Originally, jib cranes mounted on the warehouse support columns were used by workers to at each station. The jib cranes were effective for work done within an individual station, but did not provide the ability to move an assembly to the next stage of fabrication. The company’s first solution to this problem was to use forklifts. While the forklifts did provide mobility, they ended up becoming a safety hazard to the employees, and also introduced a significant amount of grease that was transferred onto the product. This grease had to be removed before shipping.

The problems presented by the use of forklifts lead the president to seek a more effective and secure solution. Looking to bring in an expert, he contacted a local material handling specialist to visit their site and study their fabrication workflow. The specialist, also a SPANCO distributor, spent an entire day observing the workflow and came to the conclusion that a SPANCO Workstation Bridge Crane would add immediate value. After listening to the solution, the president decided to invest in a 2000lb. capacity SPANCO Workstation Bridge Crane. Once installed, the system had a runway length of 110’, covering a majority of the fabrication process. The dual 20’ bridges allowed workers using an overhead hoist to move assemblies effortlessly along SPANCO’s smooth enclosed track bridge crane.

After two months of service the company once again re-evaluated their fabrication workflow and found that through the inclusion of a SPANCO Workstation Bridge Crane, they were able to cut their production time by a third! Not only was their efficiency increased, but more importantly, their workers were more secure. A SPANCO Workstation Bridge Crane was a perfect ergonomic solution.

• SPANCO - Workstation Bridge Crane Provides Ergonomic Solution For Metal Fabrication Facility

SPANCO - Aluminum Gantry Provides Economical Lifting Solution for HVAC Industry and Contractors

Many companies in the HVAC industry are challenged with doing repair, maintenance, and installations of HVAC units on rooftop settings. The units that they are working with are very heavy, and placement or removal from the plenum requires use of an overhead lifting device that can be transported to a rooftop.

For 28 years, SPANCO Aluminum Gantry cranes have been providing an economical lifting solution for this HVAC challenge. SPANCO Aluminum Gantries are engineered for solid construction and they are light enough for a one or two man crew to transport and assemble quickly. Many rooftop work settings are also hampered by roofs that are composed of soft material that standard polyurethane wheels will sink into once they are under the stress of a load. To solve this problem, SPANCO Aluminum Gantry cranes can come with optional single and dual wheel pneumatic tires. These pneumatic tires provide a flexible cushion of air for the gantry and load to ride on, therefore preventing rooftop damage.

• SPANCO - Aluminum Gantry Provides Economical Lifting Solution for HVAC Industry and Contractors

SPANCO - Workstation Crane Provides John Deere Maintenance Shop With Lifting Versatility

A long time John Deere dealer located in the Northeast carries a full line of lawn and garden equipment, commercial mowing equipment, and light industrial as well as agricultural equipment. Along with selling these products, the location also operates a maintenance and repair shop. The shop works on transmissions, motor decks, and does a lot of tire mountings for commercial or farm tractors.

Some of the common maintenance tasks performed on the tractors require repeated heavy lifting. A job might involve installing front-loading buckets, or large calcium filled tractor tires that can weigh as much as 800lbs. The shop manager had originally fixed the lifting problem by mounting an I-beam on the wall. In combination with a hoist, the set-up functioned as a jib crane. This situation served them for a time, but workers eventually found the process cumbersome due to the tractor always needing to be brought to the jib work station. The shop was also running out of space. Trying to change out a large tire or installing a bucket in such a small work area with such large tractors was difficult and very time consuming.

Searching for a more efficient solution, the dealership manager turned to a local material handling dealer. The shop manager explained that they wanted to mount something to their existing structure without the need to dig any foundations. The material handling dealer saw the value that a SPANCO Ceiling Mounted Workstation Bridge Crane could bring and made the suggestion. After explain how the crane would provide the entire shop with a rectangular lifting coverage area, providing lifting versatility, the dealership owner decided to invest in a SPANCO Ceiling Mounted Workstation Bridge Crane.

Since having the workstation crane installed, the maintenance shop has been very pleased, stating that it has “lived up to all of their expectation.” Maintenance tasks like the installation of front-loading tractor buckets have become more efficient. The crane allows for the bucket to be detached and then moved away from the tractor without having to move the tractor. Shop workers use the crane every day, and the dealership owner strongly believes that the crane has added to their efficiency.

• SPANCO - Workstation Crane Provides John Deere Maintenance Shop With Lifting Versatility

SPANCO - Jib Crane Helps Keep Food Redistribution Forklift Fleet Running Efficiently

One of the nation’s largest food redistributors manages a 275,000 square foot facility that is used as a redistribution hub for dry, frozen, and refrigerated food products. Due to the large volume of food products that are constantly moving in and out of the facility, the redistribution facility utilizes a large fleet of forklifts. These forklifts are subject to heavy usage and therefore require daily maintenance. The forklift fleet is serviced by the company’s maintenance department. Maintenance tasks include battery change outs, and pulling motors.

Because forklifts are a core component of the redistribution center, downtime due to maintenance can translate into a loss of profit. The maintenance manager had originally invested in a gantry crane to service the lifts. The gantry crane provided a solution for battery change outs, but became problematic when a motor needed pulled. Eventually employees resorted to using another forklift in combination with a come-a-long to aide in pulling the motor. This was not only requiring more manpower and another forklift, but it raised safety concerns as well.

Hoping to find a better solution for his department, the maintenance manager contacted a local SPANCO distributor. After evaluating the unique challenges and needs of the department, the SPANCO distributor recommended an investment in a large SPANCO jib crane. Eventually the maintenance manager decided to purchase a 3 Ton Motorized Freestanding SPANCO Jib Crane with a base plate mounted design. The jib crane has a span of 25ft with an under the boom height of 25ft.

Installation of the SPANCO jib brought immediate value to the maintenance department. Daily battery change outs could be done more efficiently and no longer required the presence of two employees. Now one person could handle the job. Complicated tasks like motor change outs that previously took as long as an hour and half with two employees and two forklifts could now be accomplished in 10 to 15 minutes. Improved turnaround times in the maintenance department started putting forklifts back on the facility floor quicker than ever before.

• SPANCO - Jib Crane Helps Keep Food Redistribution Forklift Fleet Running Efficiently

SPANCO - Cranes Bring Efficiency to Modular Building Lines

DeLuxe Building Systems, Inc., a world leading manufacturer of commercial modular buildings operates a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility located in Berwick, Pennsylvania. Construction of the modular buildings takes place in several stages in large warehouses located on their property. The construction is start to finish, where stages include working with raw materials, and assembly of floors, walls, and ceilings. The finished product is a modular living space complete with plumbing hook-up. These finished living spaces are integrated into apartment buildings, student housing, and condominiums.

Recently the company shifted the construction of modular walls from lumber to steel. This shift required the creation of new production lines at their facility. In one of the new production areas, 6500lb. bundles of raw steel would be shipped to the facility and then need to be cut on a large ban saw to specific lengths before going into paint production. The owner considered using existing equipment like Combilifts or forklifts to move the steel bundles to the saw, but due to the length of the steel, and the tight spaces around the machinery, using this equipment was unsafe and inefficient. Looking for an effective material handling solution, the general manager did some research online and located the SPANCO, Inc. website. On the site he read about SPANCO’s ability to engineer custom overhead lifting solutions. Customization was important to him and with his 60 years of experience in the modular building industry, he had a clear vision for the production line and standard approaches simply wouldn’t work. The owner contacted Schuylkill Material Handling, a local SPANCO distributor, and asked them to come out and look at their facility.

When the SPANCO dealer looked at the steel cutting application, he determined that it would be serviced well by a SPANCO PF Gantry Crane, but the facility ceiling was too low to accommodate the size PF Gantry Crane needed to lift the steel bundles. Schuylkill Material Handling sent some sketches and measurements of the application to SPANCO’s engineering department. SPANCO’s engineering department reviewed the project and quickly developed a custom solution. By working with the owner’s vision and looking at the existing building limitations, SPANCO engineering was able to design a custom motorized dual-tied SPANCO PF Gantry Crane. This custom crane was essentially two small SPANCO PF Gantry Cranes tied together with upper and lower steel channels to create an application specific material handling solution.

After the system was installed by Schuylkill Material Handling, Deluxe Buildings was pleased with the operation of the system. The crane has an overall length of 25’ and a height of 11’-4” and is power driven by motors on all four gantry legs. The wheels run on two v-groove tracks that are mounted to the floor. When steel bundles are ready for cutting, they are taken off the stockpile by a Combilift and placed at the head of the cutting line. The crane operator uses a push button control pendant that is mounted on the side of the gantry to easily position the crane over the steel. The pendant also allows him to simultaneously control two synchronized 3-ton power driven chain hoists that are attached to a magnet lifter. The hoists lower the magnet lifter to the steel bundle at which point they grab the bundle for lifting. The hoists then raise the steel bundle and the gantry is powered to move the load down the tracks towards a conveyer that feeds the ban saw. The new crane creates an efficiency that could not be achieved with a Combilift and forklift.

After the successful installation of the gantry crane, Deluxe Building’s general manager expressed two other locations at the facility where he had a vision for a safer and more efficient workflow. Both locations involved an application where workers needed to place Sheetrock onto modular building frames. The Sheetrock ranged in lengths from 8’-12’, with thicknesses of 3/8”-1/2”, much too heavy for a worker to lift safely without some form of equipment. After seeing SPANCO’s sales catalog, the general manager liked the lifting versatility offered by a SPANCO Articulating Jib Crane. Because both applications required workers picking different size Sheetrock off of multiple stacks in various locations, a lifting system with flexibility was required. SPANCO Articulating Jib Cranes have 360° rotating articulating arms providing multiple circular areas of lifting with arms that extend outward and fold inward. After evaluating both tasks, Schuylkill Material Handling recommended a 500lb. capacity SPANCO Freestanding Articulating Jib Crane for one, and a 500lb. capacity SPANCO Ceiling Mounted Articulating Jib Crane for the other. After both systems were installed, Deluxe Buildings again saw an increase in their production efficiency.

Both cranes are used in coordination with a 250lb. vacuum lifter to allow workers to easily maneuver and position Sheetrock on the modular structures. The freestanding articulating jib was custom designed by SPANCO engineering to include an inverted knuckle boom in order to provide more headroom. The crane also utilizes piped air power for the vacuum lifter. SPANCO is the only manufacturer of articulating jib cranes that internally pipes air power.

The inclusion of SPANCO overhead lifting solutions at Deluxe Buildings has greatly improved the safety and efficiency of their modular building production lines. In an industry where quicker construction translates into a greater return on investment for their clients, having an efficient workflow is critical. SPANCO overhead lifting products are engineered for quality, durability, and reliability. If you have an application that requires overhead lifting and our standard product line won’t work, SPANCO has the experience and know-how to provide the perfect custom solution.

• SPANCO - Cranes Bring Efficiency to Modular Building Lines

SPANCO - Wall Traveling Jib Cranes Have Improved the Efficiency of Steel Production

During the steel production process, large overhead cranes are used to transport large refractory lined ladles full of molten steel from the blast furnace to a pour station. At the pour station, the ladle cover is removed and the ladle is tilted to transfer the molten iron into large molds waiting on transfer cars. Once emptied, the ladle cover is returned and the ladle heads back to the blast furnace to repeat the process.

In review of the production process, plant managers found that the large overhead cranes were being subject to significant downtime caused by tedious tasks like ladle lid removal and replacement. This was proving to be not only inefficient, but also difficult due to the size of the overhead crane.

SPANCO Wall Traveling Jib Cranes are a custom engineered and cost-effective solution for this problem. The Wall Traveling Jib complements the overhead crane system, providing a more efficient method for lid removal and allowing for operation of the overhead crane to focus on transport to and from the blast furnace. The cranes can be used to span multiple workstations in an entire plant. The Wall Traveling Jib solution also translates into efficient material handling. As opposed to a semi-gantry crane, the Wall Traveling Jib spans a wall, so there is no crane leg or rail to interfere with floor activity.

For over 20 years, the steel industry has benefited from the use of SPANCO Wall Traveling Jib Cranes. These cranes have improved the efficiency of the steel production process.

• SPANCO - Wall Traveling Jib Cranes Have Improved the Efficiency of Steel Production

SPANCO - Gantry Crane Provides Secure Unloading of Steel Bundles from Flatbeds

A housing material supplier receives daily shipments of steel bundles. The bundles arrive on flatbed trucks that are backed into a large warehouse and unloaded. Shipments can range from one 500lb I-beam to a full truck load of 40 thousand pounds. The steel is then transported from the warehouse to existing indoor and outdoor stockpiles.

For several years the method for unloading the steel from flatbeds involved using forklifts. The number of lifts used varied depending on the size of the load, but a full shipment might require up to four 6,000lb forklifts for unloading. Trying to coordinate the transfer of a large steel load with four forklifts became not only time consuming, but also very dangerous. Some of the steel beams were of considerable length and became difficult to unload safely.

The site manager came to the conclusion that the steel transfer process was inefficient and putting his employees in harms way. In seeking a solution, a SPANCO distributor suggested the benefit that an overhead material handling device like a SPANCO Gantry Crane might provide. After seeing the value that a SPANCO Gantry Crane would provide, one was installed. The crane has an overall span of 58ft and an under the beam height of 23ft. It is rated at a capacity of 7.5 tons. The crane is also motorized with 2 speeds for indoor operation on a v-groove track that runs the length of the warehouse. With the use of a SPANCO Gantry Crane, employees can now unload steel securely and efficiently. They can also move stockpiles within the warehouse with limited effort. The SPANCO Gantry Crane also provides the user with a versatile system that doesn’t require permanent installation and can easily be moved to a new location.

A SPANCO Gantry Crane provided this housing material supplier with a safe and economical material handling alternative to forklifts. If you have a material handling problem, consider the benefits of an overhead material handling device like a SPANCO Gantry Crane.

• SPANCO - Gantry Crane Provides Secure Unloading of Steel Bundles from Flatbeds